Boulders Beach

There are a lot of beaches in Cape Town that are likely to be on your must-see list - from surfing meccas to nightlife hotspots - but one beach in particular attracts countless visitors even though they can’t even walk on the beach itself. You may not be able to stroll on Boulders Beach, but it’s the place to go to see wild African penguins up close.

The colony of African penguins that calls Boulders Beach home first settled there in the early 1980s, and has grown to a population of more than 3,000. The area is protected - it’s part of the Table Mountain National Park - and visitors are encouraged to visit the part of the beach where raised walkways keep people away from the penguins and their nests. The walkways are only a few feet off the ground, however, so you still get a great view of the birds.

The restricted area of Boulders Beach with the raised walkways is actually called Foxy Beach; the beach that bears the name Boulders Beach (and from which the name of the whole area is taken) is open for recreational activity, as long as people stay away from the penguin colony.

Boulders Beach is located roughly 28 miles from Cape Town on the Cape Peninsula, just to the south of historic Simon’s Town. Many Cape Peninsula tours include a stop at Boulders Beach, and there’s also a railway line that runs from Cape Town to Simon’s Town. From the train station in Simon’s Town you can either walk the 3km (1.8 miles) to Boulders Beach or you can hop in one of the taxis that wait outside the station.